The more I delve into the golden gate suicides the more powerless I feel. So many people. I want to do something, but I'm just one person. But I had this idea, and I just wanted the opinion of some locals before I went and started a project that would doomed to fail before it even started.

I wanted to create some uplifting prints of art that I would pass out on the bridge to people randomly, (and sometimes not so randomly based on if I got a vibe from them) for free. If they wanted to have a conversation too, of course but not required. Just something that someone who might feel isolated in a world full of darkness might take and feel something. I don't know. The more I talk about it the more it sounds stupid. What do you guys think?

So let's split the difference and assume 20 suicides per year and say 4,000 pedestrians per day. This means that there will be 1.4 million people walking across the bridge in a given year, and your goal will be to be there and locate the 20 of them that plan to jump, and hand them your art.

So if you got to just one of them, that would make it worthwhile in my mind, however the odds say that you will have to hand out around 70,000 pieces of art over 18 days to potentially get to that one person.

Now you could selectively look for troubled souls that appear to be alone, but that is still at least 10,000 pieces of art you'd have to create and distribute, and it can get pretty cold and foggy on that bridge.

I don't mean to rain on your idea, but I just wanted to give you a few practical numbers to toss around in your mind as you think about this effort further.

I work here and I strongly recommended getting involved. Even if you do not want to be a volunteer for the crisis hotline, it is still good to get trained in suicide prevention. If you plan on handing out artwork related to suicide with the intent to help people who are suicidal, you should be prepared to talk about suicide in an effective way. Think about what happens after you make contact with someone preparing to jump. What do you say? How do you help them? What would that be like for you? If you have no work/volunteer experience in suicide prevention, I highly suggest going through a training program before you find yourself in a scary and high risk situation.

One benefit to working at a hotline, rather than spending time at the bridge, is that people come to you. People who are suicidal or at risk will seek out help because they need it. This is drastically different than trying to provide help to people who look like they could use it. That said, I like that you are thinking outside the box and seeking alternate ways to help out. Not everyone feels comfortable calling a crisis line and there are limitations to that method as well. Keep it up :)

Also, on the other hand, if you work at it for a while, you might slowly get noticed and be picked up by local news outlets or something, increasing your exposure and visibility further than the "few" people you'd be directly affecting, to possibly the "many" people you could be indirectly affecting.

Having a plan for doing this will definitely help more than just randomly handing out art to random people, though, and could definitely increase your odds for helping someone.

Unfortunately, it is widely believed that these numbers are a gross underestimate. Bare in mind, this reflects confirmed suicides, and doesn't include bodies never found. The current is strong at the bridge, and many bodies are pulled out to sea and never found. I know people who work closely with the Golden Gate Bridge Authority, and I've personally heard estimates of around 1 PER DAY from people who would know. I think you should absolutely follow through with your idea. Also, see the documentary called The Bridge, but be forewarned, it is extremely disturbing. Seriously, very, very disturbing but an excellent film.

Unfortunately, it is widely believed that these numbers are a gross underestimate.

I've personally heard estimates of around 1 PER DAY from people who would know.

I'd love to see a source on this. I find it very hard to believe that upwards of 350 people per year are jumping off the bridge without some wider knowledge of it. Not disputing that the official number might be low, because I imagine there absolutely ARE people who jump and are never found - I'm just very skeptical that it's as high as you claim.

I should have been more clear. The "1 per day" citation is based on hearsay. Best I can do to identify the source is tell you I have heard from sources who would theoretically be a reliable source. But, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to identify the sources. I'm glad you called me on this, because writing this I am realizing it was irresponsible to shoot my mouth off if I'm not in a position to back it up. I regret including the reference in the first place. I think we agree that some jumpers aren't ever reported or found is wide spread, so I won't include links confirming this. Seems like a pretty wide spread assumption.

This basically says you will get more False Positives than True Positives given these numbers. I.e. you stop and harass more people who ARE NOT suicidal than you will ever find who are suicidal.

Aside from being profoundly frustrating for you, it will also be a source of irritation to those being harassed who may respond legally or physically against you.

BTW these same test error statistics apply to TSA finding terrorists (they will always mostly/only get False Positive - innocent people tagged as threats rather than actual terrorists), and to Drone Targeting (they will always mostly/only get False Positives - innocent non-combatants killed rather than terrorist).

It's a mathematical certainty when looking for a needle in a haystack.

The point here is: please use Pareto risk prioritization when figuring out "who to help". That is, find the easy, low hanging fruit of people who need help first and go after the rare cases later (if ever).

People have killed themselves since the dawn of humanity - you aren't going to change that. But if you must to try, target the largest, easiest to find group - those who actually cry out for help explicitly.

Personally I feel like there are probably more productive ways to help people, like volunteering at a suicide hotline. But if this is where your heart leads you, what does it matter what anyone else thinks, especially in this city? Go forth and help!

I'm not trying to rain on your parade. As razorsheldon stated, I think your heart is in the right place. I think it's fantastic that you want to help, want to make art, and want to distribute said art in a way that will help.

The biggest concern I have is this. You don't seem to have any psychological, medical, or legal background, training, or experience in this area...at least, not yet. This world is complex, as are the problems people face... drug/alchohol abuse, addictions, relationships, guilt, coming-out issues, depression. mental issues, medical issues, etc.

I'm also concerned that you haven't completely thought through possible outcomes and/or consequences, not just for another person's sake, but for your own. If a scenario happened to go wrong, it could be unsafe for you or others physically, mentally, and emotionally. The absolute worst case scenario, I would imagine, is that you could be brought up on severe criminal charges, even if your intentions were the best. This is the internet (Reddit, no less), and contrary to popular opinion, sometimes the internet is less than fully informed. I am not a lawyer, and as far as I know, none of those responding to you are lawyers, either, so just because someone says there is nothing you have to worry about legally, does not make that the case.

Instead, I would suggest that you get involved in some volunteer work related to suicide prevention. You'll learn a great deal that way, which will give you some good tools for you to deal with situations. After a quick search, I found that San Francisco Suicide Prevention (http://www.sfsuicide.org/) has volunteer opportunities. Heck, they even ask for volunteers on VolunteerMatch (http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org16259.jsp ; opportunities are listed in the column on the right). Trying to deal with crisis management effectively is harder and requires more work, time, and preparation than someone's whim, which may be serving to make themselves feel better, moreso than the attempt to help handle another person's crisis singlehandedly.

I would still encourage you to make uplifting art. The creation of art, in most cases, is a good thing. Don't throw away the idea of creating uplifting art to give out to people, especially those who may get a lift from it. Just, please, do more preparation, and get better equipped so that you do more good than well-intentioned but ill-equipped potential harm.

Source: While I have not formally studied any form of psychology, nor do I have much personal experience with any substance abuse issues, I HAVE worked a crisis hotline when I was younger, so I have at least minimal training & a few tools under my belt to understand how to deal with this issue.

TL;DR: Get some real experience & tools related to crisis management; know what you're doing, before putting yourself and/or others in potentially bad situations. If you're serious, put in the time & effort to be effective.

You don't need locals' permission to do something kind for someone who obviously needs it.

People who are seriously considering suicide are in a bad place mentally, and it's important to understand the seriousness of that. But at the same time, if you find a way to confront someone with a visible, concrete reminder that someone cares about them, I think it might help them feel things are a little less desperate and a little less hopeless than they had thought a moment before. No guarantees that that will instantly make things better for them, but if you can make things better for your fellow man, or at least try to, I think that's worth it.

You should just do this. Be safe, but why second-guess a generous and caring impulse? Also, in the tones of kindly voices from my youth which i have almost forgotten: "you are the light of the world." Shine.

Would you consider posting art/flyers on the bridge as well? Maybe starting a guerilla anti-suicide campaign? I could totally visualize this turning into a big project, especially if you involve SF artists.

Speaking as a local I definetly approve of your idea! San Francisco can always use more art.

Fuck it. Do it. I'll help you if you want. I've actually walked the bridge myself when I was feeling down just to meditate or clear my head and would actually feel instantly better exchanging hellos to a random stranger. Yea, there is a lot of people on the bridge but while paying attention to body language you can always point out the ones walking alone with the weight of a heavy conscience. Not all of them may actually be suicidal in anyway but it's not like you're there to harass people, you're just handing out free stuff!

But anyway, I think it's a great idea and you should do it. I know I would've appreciated it two years ago when I was looking for help and an escape from myself. Kindness from strangers goes a long way when you're feeling isolated.

I know this may be cynical, but I feel that people in general dont value things that are free...I think this is especially true in large Californian cities. Giving something away in SF may result in a lot of sarcastic "oh great, thanks a lot" responses even if it's of great quality and value. It's sad, but true in my opinion....hopefully I'm wrong and you will uplift the masses. GL HF

I think it's great to find a sadness in our world, and try to change it with your positive efforts. That's very San Franciscan of you, and you may feel like an outsider but I think you fit right in.

I want to point out that it's unlikely the people who committed suicide did so because of an interaction they had on the bridge. If you want to bring more light and happiness to people, you don't need to be stuck somewhere geographically. You can hand out your free art in the financial district, on haight st, anywhere.

Personally, I think it would be great if you had a little story on the back explaining why you were doing it. Also, if you can afford it you should refuse any donations but instead direct people to organizations that compliment your efforts. Suicide prevention hotlines come to mind.

It's not a stupid idea. Not trying to help when you feel like you should is a stupid idea. Sabotaging yourself is a stupid idea.

Doing something, even if it's ineffectual, is better than doing nothing. Just by putting forth an effort you will show people that others care. There's nothing stupid about that.

Just looked at your username... Please share some of the pics with us.